Neuroscience news

The Brain Prize 2019: French neuroscientists honoured for outstanding research into small vessel strokes in the brain

Aiming for treatment they have spent more than 30 years describing, understanding and diagnosing the most common hereditary form of stroke, CADASIL. For this, the four French neuroscientists are now receiving the world’s most valuable prize for brain research – the Lundbeck Foundation Brain Prize, worth 1 million euros.

Jean-Pierre Julien’s team recently published an article in the high impact journal, the Journal of Clinical Investigations, about a new experimental therapy for ALS and frontotemporal dementia based on the use of antibodies that target the abnormal accumulation of a protein called TDP-43 in degenerating neurons. The formation of TDP-43 aggregates is associated with ALS development.

We often think of our brains as the centre of complex motor function and control, but how ‘smart’ is your spinal cord? Turns out, it is smarter than we think.

Circuits which travel down the length of our spine control things like the pain reflex in humans and some motor-control functions in animals. Now, new research from Western has shown that the spinal cord is also able to process and control more complex functions, like the positioning of your hand in external space.

Researchers at Western have developed an objective way to monitor female athletes’ concussion injury, by using brain scans to study their brains over time.

By using a technique that combines both structural and functional MRI information, Western University researchers were able to identify three unique signatures – one that shows acute brain changes after an athlete has suffered a concussion, another that can identify persistent brain changes six months after the concussion and a third that shows evidence of concussion history.

Queen’s University researcher discovers potential new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

Queen’s University researcher Fernanda De Felice (Psychiatry), along with co-authors from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, have identified an exercise-linked hormone that could slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. This research was recently published in the high-profile publication, Nature Medicine.

Scientists find a new application for an existing drug, with potential to slow progression of the devastating degenerative disease.
A drug typically used to treat hepatitis could slow the progression of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, according to new research by University of Alberta scientists.

The holiday season is a hard one for anyone watching their weight. The sights and smells of food are hard to resist. One factor in this hunger response is a hormone found in the stomach that makes us more vulnerable to tasty food smells, encouraging overeating and obesity. New research on the hormone ghrelin was published on Dec. 4, 2018, led by Dr. Alain Dagher’s lab at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital of McGill University.

Researchers have discovered a type of neuron that would coordinate the consolidation of memory

In an article published today in Nature Communications, researchers from Université Laval and Oxford University report having discovered a new type of neuron in the mouse brain. These neurons connect two structures associated with memory and may coordinate the consolidation of information about contextual or episodic memory.

Sleep is an essential behavioural state in animals ranging from invertebrates to humans. It is critical for immune function, stable metabolism, brain repair, learning and memory. Over the course of a lifetime, more than 30 per cent of people will experience a sleep disorder, which is associated with a number of diseases including Alzheimer’s, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Meetings & Events

From Behavior to Brain: The Neuroethological Way to Neuroscience Join a panel of experts discussing the neural substrates of perception and natural behaviors at the Society for Neuroscience’s (SfN) next virtual conference, Wednesday, April 3, 10 a.m.–3:15 p.m. EDT. In sessions led by both visionaries and relative newcomers in the field of neuroethology, attendees can…

BNA2019 FESTIVAL OF NEUROSCIENCE- 14-17 APRIL 2019, DUBLIN, IRELAND The BNA, in collaboration with BSN and NSI, is excited to be bringing the international Festival of Neuroscience to Dublin, a city of culture, excitement and neuroscience! 1 city, 4 days, 40 scientific sessions, 750+ posters, 200 speakers, 1500 delegates, 22 partnering organisations and 9 world renowned…

Date: May 21 ‐ 22, 2019 Location: Montreal, Canada Website: http://fourwav.es/neurosciences21‐22mai2019 View the invitation: 41eSymposiumInternational REGISTRATION DETAILS: Deadline for registration: May 3, 2019 Registration on line is required. No registration on site will be accepted. The registration includes coffee‐breaks and lunch for the two days event.

The Baikal Neuroscience Meeting 2019 will take place on the Russian lake Baikal in Siberia from June 03 to June 07, 2019. The major theme of the conference is “Cortical neuronal networks in health and disease”. The talks will cover several topics including the development of cortical networks, synaptic plasticity and synaptic function, the role…

From June 5-6, attend a two-day symposium on behavioural testing in London, Ontario, Canada. The symposium is entitled New frontiers in cognitive testing using touchscreen technology and includes leaders in the field of developing touchscreen cognitive testing and neurochemical manipulation of mouse models. Benefits to participants: Meet with experts on touchscreen technology including Drs. Tim Bussey and…

The FENS Forum of Neuroscience is Europe’s largest international neuroscience meeting. The Forum scientific programme covers all domains in modern brain research. Learn more: https://forum2020.fens.org/